Photography serves to define the window through which we view, interpret, and communicate our societal ideals and problems. It guides our understanding of beauty and pain, of joy and sorrow, of accomplishment and struggle. A photograph can be a call to action, or a call for contemplation. Photographs are capable of altering our perception of the world that surrounds us every day.

We believe that a single image can define our organisation and convey our mission to the public in a manner that no other medium is capable of doing alone.

Do you want to give back to the World by volunteering your time and services to help us? By connecting with our needs and your passion of photography, we shall be a powerful team whereby you will gain experience and exposure while we shall gain professional quality imagery to use within YUVA.

Images may be worth 10,000 words, but the best ones leave you speechless.

Humans are visual. We rely heavily on our sense of vision to guide us through life. Our emotions and judgment are permanently intertwined with our visual senses. It is through imagery that photographers attempt to build connections with the audience. Likewise, it is through the use of imagery that YUVA will build a connection with its audience. We firmly believe that the power of imagery to make these connections cannot be underestimated.

Who we’re looking for

YUVA is looking for experienced amateurs, semi-professional, and professional photographers living in Mauritius who are willing to volunteer their skills to assist National and Local projects. All photographers must at a minimum have a DSLR camera and a kit lens.

Why you should join

The one thing that joins all photographers regardless of skill level is a love for the challenge inherent in creating an image. By volunteering with YUVA you will get the chance to work with a non-profit organisation on a wide variety of projects – each of which will present unique challenges and opportunities in an environment that encourages the development of your own artistic vision. By becoming our volunteer photographer your photography projects gain a new purpose by directly supporting your community and our causes. We work to ensure that all our photographers are given complete access to the people and events that they photograph thus creating new educational opportunities that will make anyone a better photographer.

What you agree to

As a photographer for YUVA, you are responsible for creating quality images on projects which you are working. In general, we expect our photographers to deliver a minimum of 100 pictures during a project. Photos should be submitted in a maximum period of 48 hours.This gives us a variety of images to select from for use in their social media campaigns, marketing materials, brochures, fund raisers, etc.

Your rights

By agreeing to photograph for YUVA you are granting us a worldwide, irrevocable editorial license to use your photographs in support of our mission. YUVA will give credit to you as the original creator of the images for all uses of your work. As the photographer, you retain all copyrights to your images taken during any of the events that you shoot.

Excited to change the World through your DSLR? Please fill out the form below

Today is not your typical Sunday; it’s International Day of the Girl Child. While the very well-known International Women’s Day started over 100 years ago in 1909, the International Day of the Girl Child is fairly new—only four years old. Yet it’s goal is a powerful one: In December 2011, the United Nations declared October 11 as a day to “recognize girls’ rights and the unique challenges girls face around the world.”

“Empowerment of and investment in girls are key in breaking the cycle of discrimination and violence and in promoting and protecting the full and effective enjoyment of their human rights”

-United Nations Resolution 66/170

The U.N. selects a different theme to focus on every year, and 2015’s theme is “The Power of the Adolescent Girl: Vision for 2030.” The idea is that girls going through adolescence now can start to help make a change, and plan for a better world for girls born now who will be adolescents in 15 years. The day itself is a time to focus on how to help girls “have the right to a safe, educated, and healthy life, not only during these critical formative years, but also as they mature into women,” says the U.N. “If effectively supported during the adolescent years, girls have the potential to change the world—both as the empowered girls of today and as tomorrow’s workers, mothers, entrepreneurs, mentors, household heads, and political leaders.”

The Day of the Girl is a response to an urgent problem facing our world today: the neglect and devaluation of girls around the world. On October 11 of every year, we see dynamic groups across the world (led by girls, of course) acting to highlight, discuss, celebrate and ultimately advance girls’ lives and opportunities across the globe. When girls come together to talk about what really matters to us, we can teach ourselves and other people–adults, boys, and other girls all across the world–new ways of thinking about gender issues, which will help us take action to change the status quo.

October 11 is not just a day; it’s a movement. A worldwide revolution.

The Day of the Girl is bigger than one issue, one organization, one country, and even the day itself. It is a yearly reflection of what we’ve done and what we need to keep doing to fully achieve gender equality everywhere.

The newly adopted Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) offer an opportunity for a global commitment to breaking intergenerational transmission of poverty, violence, exclusion and discrimination – and realizing our vision of a life of dignity for all, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon declared, marking the International Day of the Girl Child.

“Our task now is to get to work on meeting the SDG targets and making good on our promises to give girls all the opportunities they deserve as they mature to adulthood by 2030,” said Mr. Ban in his message on the Day, referring to the newly–adopted 2030 Agenda and its landmark 17 Global Goals.

That means enabling them to avoid child marriage and unwanted pregnancy, protect against HIV transmission, stay safe from female genital mutilation, and acquire the education and skills they need to realize their potential.

“It also requires ensuring their sexual health and reproductive rights. Girls everywhere should be able to lead lives free from fear and violence. If we achieve this progress for girls, we will see advances across society,” continued the UN chief.

The Secretary-general recalled that just after the adoption last month of the Global Goals for, world leaders heard a ringing call from Nobel Peace Laureate Malala Yousafzai, who was flanked in the General Assembly Hall by young people from around the world. ‘Promise us that you will keep your commitments and invest in our future,’ she urged.

“Three years ago, on the International Day of the Girl Child, I condemned the attack against Malala and called for more opportunities for girls everywhere. Today, I applaud her courage and that of her peers, who only want the chance to contribute to our world,” said the Secretary-General.

“Let us resolve to invest in today’s adolescent girls so that tomorrow they can stand strong as citizens, political leaders, entrepreneurs, heads of their households and more. This will secure their rights and our common future,” he declared.

In her remarks UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka said the cadre of 15-year-old girls living today were born at the advent of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) into a world of hope. Not all of those hopes were fulfilled. Many have already dropped out of school to look after family members or take informal work to help support the family.

“More than 250 million of our 15-year-olds are already married, too many are facing the likelihood of HIV infection, especially given the high unmet needs for family planning…and every 10 minutes somewhere in the world, an adolescent girl dies by violent means,” she said, adding that: “These, and the generations that follow them, are the young women for whom we are working so hard.”